‘The Circle,’ starring Emma Watson, will have its much anticipated world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival (film still).

Now that Fashion Week and Armory Arts Week are over, it’s time to focus on film! Tribeca Film Festival returns to Manhattan from April 19th through 30th. This year, music, sports and fashion is a big focus of the fest. Galas and special screenings include world premieres of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story documentary; Mike and the Mad Dog, which kicks off The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, The Public Image is Rotten, a documentary about Sex Pistols’ lead singer Johnny Rotten (AKA John Lydon); Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, a documentary chronicling the screen star’s little known talents as an engineer and inventor; From The Ashes, a documentary that captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be under the Trump Administration; and Dare to Be Different, the story of 1980’s rebel Long Island radio station WLIR, which will include interviews and rare footage of U2, Blondie, Duran Duran, Joan Jett, The Cure, Billy Idol, and Depeche Mode. The special screening will be accompanied by live performances from Flock of Seagulls, The Alarm, and The English Beat. Another much awaited premiere will be The Circle. Based on a Dave Eggers novel, the film stars Emma Watson as a young woman whose Silicon Valley dream career soon becomes her worst fear. The Circle is the late Bill Paxton’s last movie.

Joan Jett and Billie Joe Armstrong rocked out at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. This year, Jett appears in the documentary, ‘Dare to Be Different.’ Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.

Aside from new viewings, Tribeca Film Festival will also revisit longtime favorites. To close its 16th edition on Saturday April 29 there will be back-to-back screenings of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II followed by a cast reunion and conversation with director Francis Ford Coppola and actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of The Godfather’s theatrical release. Other retrospective screenings include the 25th anniversary of Aladdin with a special sing-along; the 25th anniversary of Reservoir Dogs, followed by a conversation with director Quentin Tarantino and members of the cast; and the 15th anniversary of Bowling for Columbine, followed by a discussion with director Michael Moore.

Ninety-eight films are included in TFF’s various feature-length film categories. Like many other current major art events, the focus was put on works that reflect the current state of the world and diverse narratives. Of the feature-length films, thirty-two are directed by women. Of the selection Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises, Paula Weinstein states:

“In the current climate, both in the literal and political sense, it is more important than ever to elevate stories about the moments we are going through as a nation and as global citizens,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises. “We were really moved by this group of projects that reflect our world and the critical tipping point we have reached.” -Paula Weinstein

Tribeca Film Festival is well-known for it’s documentaries. In keeping with current events and to honor Earth Day, 2017 festival programmers chose to highlight several documentaries that focus on critical and timely issues that have an impact on our planet, including climate change, food waste, and animal extinction. Each of these films will screen on April 22nd (Earth Day) as well as throughout the festival. Aside from twelve documentaries, the Competition section of the festival will also feature ten US narratives and ten international narratives.

‘Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story’ will have its world premiere at Tribeca 2017. Image courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.

Read the full length of feature films below and get more information about attending Tribeca Film Festival on the official website.

TRIBECA 2017 FEATURE-LENGTH FILM SELECTION

U.S. NARRATIVE COMPETITION:
Aardvark, directed and written by Brian Shoaf. (USA)Abundant Acreage Available, directed and written by Angus MacLachlan. (USA)Blame, directed and written by Quinn Shephard. (USA)The Endless, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, written by Justin Benson. (USA)Flower, directed by Max Winkler, written by Alex McAulay, Max Winkler, Matt Spicer. (USA)Keep the Change, directed and written by Rachel Israel. (USA)Love After Love, directed by Russell Harbaugh, written by Russell Harbaugh, Eric Mendelsohn. (USA)One Percent More Humid, directed and written by Liz W. Garcia. (USA)Saturday Church, directed and written by Damon Cardasis. (USA)Thirst Street, directed by Nathan Silver, written by Nathan Silver, C. Mason Wells. (USA, France)

SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE:
The Boy Downstairs, directed and written by Sophie Brooks. (USA)Buster’s Mal Heart, directed and written by Sarah Adina Smith. (USA)Chuck, directed by Philippe Falardeau, written by Jeff Feuerzeig, Jerry Stahl. (USA)The Clapper, directed and written by Dito Montiel. (USA)Dabka, directed and written by Bryan Buckley. (USA)The Dinner, directed and written by Oren Moverman. (USA)Literally, Right Before Aaron, directed and written by Ryan Eggold. (USA)The Lovers, directed and written by Azazel Jacobs. (USA)Manifesto, directed and written by Julian Rosefeldt. (Germany)Permission, directed and written by Brian Crano. (USA)Rock’n Roll, directed by Guillaume Canet, written by Guillaume Canet, Rodolphe Lauga, Philippe Lefebvre. (France)Sweet Virginia, directed by Jamie Dagg, written by The China Brothers. (USA)Take Me, directed by Pat Healy, written by Mike Makowsky. (USA)Thumper, directed and written by Jordan Ross. (USA)The Trip to Spain, directed by Michael Winterbottom. (U.K.)

SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY:
ACORN and the Firestorm, directed and written by Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard. (USA)AlphaGo, directed by Greg Kohs. (USA)Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World, directed and written by Barry Avrich. (Canada)ELIÁN, directed by Tim Golden, Ross McDonnell. (USA)Frank Serpico, directed and written by Antonino D’Ambrosio. (USA)Get Me Roger Stone, directed and written by Dylan Bank, Daniel DiMauro, Morgan Pehme. (USA)Gilbert, directed by Neil Berkeley, written by Neil Berkeley, James Leche. (USA)A Gray State, directed by Erik Nelson. (USA)Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS, directed by Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested, written by Mark Monroe. (USA)Hondros, directed by Greg Campbell, written by Greg Campbell, Jenny Golden. (USA)I Am Evidence, directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir. (USA)LA 92, directed by Daniel Lindsay, TJ Martin. (USA)No Stone Unturned, directed by Alex Gibney. (USA, Northern Ireland)WASTED! The Story of Food Waste, directed by Anna Chai and Nari Kye. (USA)Whitney. “can I be me,” directed by Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal, written by Nick Broomfield. (U.K)Year of the Scab, directed by John Dorsey. (USA)

VIEWPOINTS:
City of Ghosts, directed by Matthew Heineman. (USA)Dog Years, directed and written by Adam Rifkin. (USA)The Family I Had, directed by Katie Green and Carlye Rubin, written by Tina Grapenthin, Katie Green, Carlye Rubin. (USA)The Farthest, directed and written by Emer Reynolds. (Ireland)Flames, directed and written by Zefrey Throwell and Josephine Decker. (USA)For Ahkeem, directed by Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest. (USA)The Last Animals, directed by Kate Brooks, written by Kate Brooks and Mark Monroe. (USA)Mr Long, directed and written by SABU. (Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan R.O.C., Germany)My Art, directed and written by Laurie Simmons. (USA)My Friend Dahmer, directed and written by Marc Meyers. (USA)Pilgrimage, directed by Brendan Muldowney, written by Jamie Hannigan. (USA, Ireland)A Thousand Junkies, directed and written by Tommy Swerdlow. (USA)The Wedding Plan (Laavor et HaKir), directed and written by Rama Burshtein. (Israel)

MIDNIGHT:
Devil’s Gate, directed by Clay Staub, written by Peter Aperlo, Clay Staub. (Canada, USA)Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine, directed by Patrick O’Dell. (USA)Hounds of Love, directed and written by Ben Young. (Australia)Psychopaths, directed and written by Mickey Keating. (USA)Super Dark Times, directed by Kevin Phillips, written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski. (USA)Tilt, directed by Kasra Farahani, written by Jason O’Leary, Kasra Farahani. (USA)